More Than Equal
by greywizard-dumblemort
Summary: One should always be careful when dealing with prophecy.... None could guess the consequences of premature action and needless haste in dealing with the prophecy. Dark!Powerful!Self-serving!Cruel Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**More than Equal**

* * *

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as a__n equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not…._

Not much is known about prophecy…… besides the fact that for the millennia they have plagued wizard kind they have always rang true.

OK, so some wouldn't say plague….

But I say plague...

Because of prophecy, wizards never actually do as they're supposed to.

It's not their fault though I suppose; they think its fate.

And they're right, well, at least partially right…

You see, what happens because of prophecy, happens by design. The gods derive great amusement at the expense of wizards; gifted with so much power yet so utterly susceptible to the workings of 'fate'.

And it was time once again…

There has been many a prophecy… most of which, thankfully, go unheard. These are the ones that usually end up with the best outcomes. When prophecy is heard, a wizard will always do his best to either try to ensure it goes the way they want, or try to defy it.

In doing so they usually seal their own fate….

One should always be very careful how they interpret prophecy… as creators of the spoken and written word; the gods enjoy the games they can use them to play.

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* * *

As Albus Dumbledore heard the prophecy that faithful night, he began to scheme, he was partially glad to be rid of the burden that was Tom Riddle and as such set his sights on two of the potential subjects of the prophecy. He would ensure that they would succeed in their destiny; he would also make sure that they would never grow into their full powers. He should perhaps have spent more time studying prophecy before jumping the gun, alas; he didn't, and in doing so sealed his fate.

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* * *

As Severus Snape heard what was only a snippet of the prophecy from his place outside the door, he began to scheme, he immediately guessed correctly the two potential candidates, and thought perhaps, if he told his master of this he could finally be rid of that wretched Potter and his bastard spawn, maybe he could convince his master to spare Lily… yes…. She would be his for the taking. Severus Snape should perhaps have been less hasty and listened for the entirety of the prophecy. Alas, he didn't, and in doing so sealed his fate.

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* * *

Tom Marvolo Riddle, bastard, unloved child of a drugged muggle and a squib, demented, twisted, powerful, Heir of Slytherin, Boogeyman of the Mudbloods, Champion of the Pure, Lord Voldemort could not believe what he was hearing from his servant.

So, the fates sought to thwart him, too bad he had taken steps to ensure he could not die…. As he heard the contents of the prophecy, he began to scheme, he would fight directly against faith, it was his birth right after all to one day be a god, he had taken steps to ensure true death would never find him, no all he had to do was find the two brats and kill them before they could become a threat to his power… So simple.

What is so sad though is that Tom Riddle is, through life experiences, a naturally paranoid individual, and as a result is usually exceptionally precise. Perhaps, as he was often prone to doing, he should have examined all the facts… Alas, it was not meant to be.

He was hasty…

He wanted his enemies gone…

He would, in a stroke of brilliance recruit Peter Pettigrew, who would then go on to betray his friends' location.

He would send Bella, Crouch and the Lestrange brothers to the Longbottom house whilst he would visit the blood traitor Potter and his mudblood wife personally, as like Dumbledore; he too believed that it would be the half blood like himself most likely to cause his downfall.

He knew well the gods' taste for irony… a delicacy to those of the divine realm.

He was right of course, he chose well; too well it would seem as the flash of green returns from the young Harry Potter and disembodies the most feared Dark Lord in centuries. Tom Riddle was hasty in his actions, and thusly, he sealed his fate.

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* * *

It is funny…

The god's are truly unforgiving and cruel in the choices they present us…

We act always thinking of the probability of things going in our favour… and there is always that possibility as an outcome…. At least in theory… Never though in actual fact, they know our choices before me make them, so then, there is no real risk in presenting a possibility they know will go unexplored, a path that will go untrodden.

Had Lord Voldemort chosen Neville Longbottom that night he would nevertheless have found himself a spirit as there was no doubt Alice Longbottom was most assuredly as willing to sacrifice herself for her son as Lily Potter.

Willing sacrifice this particular night was all the gods required, after all, they couldn't have their fun ending too quickly.

However, after years of being the Boy-Who-Lived, Neville, a young pureblood spoilt rotten by his grandmother and used to the adoration of his legions of fans, would have met quite an untimely end at the hands of a resurrected Lord Voldemort.

None of this matters though, because the Dark Lord chose Harry Potter, not Neville Longbottom, and in doing so sealed not only his fate but the fate of Wizarding Britain as well.

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_

* * *

  
And the Dark Lord will mark him as a__n equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not…._

As Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall left a young Harry Potter on the doorstep of number 4 Privet Drive in Surrey neither of them could guess what the future would bring, neither could guess the consequences of their actions…. Albus Dumbledore could never guess that ¾ of the prophecy had already been fulfilled.

You see, the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord had already been born…. Exactly as the seventh month died, born to those who had defied him three times…

And the Dark Lord marked him as his equal…

A funny thing about prophecy… it should always be interpreted quite loosely… you see, Dumbledore assumed rightly that Harry potter would be a powerful wizard who would one day be an equal to Voldemort, but even he could never have guessed that the day would be **today.**

A fifteen month old Harry Potter became the magical equal of Lord Voldemort for the first and last time at the moment of his marking…

For you see, After being dispossessed of his body and bereft of his powers mere moments later Lord Voldemort could no longer consider himself Harry Potter's equal.

By the time he found himself in a new body and reclaimed his lost powers, Harry Potter's powers would have been growing for so long that they would never be equal again…

This was the power the Dark Lord knows not…

Not love…

Not some special ability or gift…

But power… raw power… raw magical force and ability that Lord Voldemort through his own actions would never be able to match… would never know…

It's his own fault I suppose, after all, he knows of the gods' penchant for irony.

* * *

**A/N: As most of you who know me would have already guessed, i'm bored.... Very bored.**

I can't however be asked to write anything for My Idol at the moment, I'm nearly done with the next Chapter by the way. I'm not sure how this will be received but I'll be interested to see what someone can do with this. I can hardly find any more good Harry Potter fics these days.

**I'm going to bed.... **

**Ja ne  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling happens to own it. PLease don't sue me.

_  
More than Equal – Chapter 2_

* * *

Petunia and Vernon Dursley were displeased.

Well, displeased may be an understatement most gross, they were livid. To be stuck, with this…. This witch-child.

An abomination Vernon had said, a devout Christian could believe no less.

Petunia Dursley had been forced to inform her husband of her otherworldly connection upon receipt of her nephew, a task she was loathe to do already knowing his reaction.

She couldn't blame him; she after all felt the same way.  
If her annoying sister could have this 'magic', when neither she herself nor her parents possessed anything of the kind, then surely it was abnormal, an insidious mutation no doubt, it **had **led to her sister's death after all.

But no matter, now they were stuck. The letter that came with the boy left instructions of caring for him; along with a veiled threat should any harm befall him. She wanted nothing to do with these heretics, and if caring for him would keep them from coming back, then so be it.

It didn't hurt that Petunia, despite her jealousy of her sister's gift was still a caring woman, she cared deeply for both her Dudley and her husband, she could not harden her heart enough to cast out her nephew, hopefully he would be the reverse of Lily, born to a magical family but with no magic.

Vernon agreed with her decision despite his reservations, as a Christian man he could not condemn a child no matter its origins, he would make sure the boy grew to be a fine boy and would not partake in this 'magic' nonsense.

Their decision sealed their fate. Whether it would be to their detriment or their eternal gratitude was left to be seen.  
___________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter was a strange boy, very quiet, unnaturally so his aunt would comment.

He was 5 now and coming along nicely.

He would sit in his cupboard and think, just think. He liked thinking; thinking about himself, his spiders, his unfair family…

They were very unfair he thought. Intelligent as he was, at his age he could only see their actions in terms of unfairness. But that would change.

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It is...... unfortunate.

Harry Potter, unknown to himself, was loved, was treated as one of the family for maybe a month or so after his arrival. As he grew on them, he became loved despite his origins. He was too old now to remember it, perhaps those memories would return in time.

Presently however, Harry Potter was unloved.

Vernon and Petunia had accepted him, made plans for both him and Dudley, until that one night. The night he displayed unnaturalness.

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Babies aren't supposed to always get what they want, Harry Potter did.

It was a mystery for a time, the feeding when no one remembered feeding him, the toys that would always end up in his crib.

One day, the Dursleys realised their worst fear had come to pass as they entered the nursery only to witness their son Dudley floating in the air towards Harry's crib.  
Now, they understood that Harry was a happy child; that he liked to play with Dudley. They understood that he couldn't possibly understand the danger of what he was doing, nevertheless, seeing the danger posed to their son because of Harry's 'magic', they made a decision and Harry Potter would soon call the cupboard under the stairs home.

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At the age of six and a half, Harry Potter looked the epitome of a healthy six year old boy. His aunt and uncle were displeased.

They tried everything. They starved him sometimes, they took away the things that tended to make him happy, they tried to instil values that would help Harry Potter understand that in life there was hardship and it was simply unnatural to get everything you wanted.  
Yet, the boy, he was healthy and always alert, always unconsciously doing that 'thing' that they tried to draw out of him. At one point Vernon got so frustrated he entertained the thought of beating the witchery out of the boy, but even a hard man like Vernon was hesitant to raise a hand to a child.

Their only saving grace was that Harry Potter did not seem to be aware of his powers. He completely ignored some of the occasions where doors opened for him, especially his cupboard door and where things he wanted tended to appear.

They only hoped it stayed that way, they didn't want to admit it, but they were afraid of little Harry, very afraid.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter was thinking, again. He was thinking about why his aunt and uncle were so unfair towards him. Why he didn't have a room, or a TV. Why when he made one appear they took it away again.

Why they were so strange, they always looked at him funny.

He figured they must just be a bit weird. Weird, the kids at school would always say he was weird.

As he sat at the dining table he couldn't help but marvel at uncle Vernon being weird again. He was running about, talking about being late and looking for his keys.

Why didn't he just make them come to him?

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter would one day ask this question out loud, the silence would be deafening. It would seal his fate.

Petunia and Vernon Dursley had ignored Harry that morning, but they realised that their worse fear had come to pass. Harry Potter knew of his unnaturalness and he could do it consciously.

They raged back and forth in debate all night about what should be done. Then they realised that only had one choice. If they didn't this could lead to huge problems.

But, they couldn't allow the boy to know he held any power over them.

That night Harry Potter was sat down and treated to a talk about how one should not use theirs powers; that they were forbidden and bad things can happen. He was told that it was for that very reason that people did not even dare speak of it.

Harry Potter was a good boy; a shy, quiet and frightfully intelligent boy, but a reasonable one nonetheless.

He would not speak of or use his powers again for a year.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter was running.

His cousin often liked to play this game. He didn't understand why, at home Dudley acted the part of innocence.

He now knew his cousin to be a bully. He now also knew that his aunt and uncle would not believe a word he said.

They were closing in on him now, he just wanted to get out of here, and he had to. With a crack Harry Potter disappeared.

He landed with a stumble on the roof of the school. He could see his cousin and his band of merry men not far from his position. He was confused, and winded from the physical strain of running for that long.

He guessed his powers may have been used without his control. This must be what his aunt meant. Things could happen. He had to be careful; he didn't want to hurt anyone.

He climbed his way down and turned to go round the back and make his way home from there.

''There he is!''

Shit.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry's muscles burned furiously from the strain, he couldn't run for much longer. He'd lost them ages ago but he'd be damned if he'd stopped running.

Why?

Why were they chasing him, he was getting tired of this game. He wished he could use his powers to make them stop. But Dudley wasn't using his, and the other boys weren't using theirs.  
He didn't want to get in trouble. He didn't want to go to jail.

So he kept running.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter was used to it. Used to being ignored, used to being reprimanded for nothing at all, and used to the unfairness of it all.

He sat in his cupboard wondering, why?

Dudley just became worse as they grew older, Aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon grew colder.

He told a teacher about Dudley when he was finally tired of getting beaten by his cousin.  
The result wasn't pretty.

His teacher confronted Dudley, who called him a liar. She witnessed Dudley's actions one day and made a note in his record.  
His teacher broke his confidence and confronted his aunt about the situation.

His aunt was….displeased.

His family called him all sorts of names. The blamed him for Dudley's delinquency. Uncle Vernon was livid about their being a blemish of any kind in Dudley's record, he blamed his influence.

He finally lost his restraint and Harry Potter received his first beating from his uncle. Nothing more severe than any boy who gets a whipping from his father, nevertheless, it was significant as his uncle had never hit him or Dudley before.

Aunt Petunia just watches dispassionately. Dudley seemed to think he deserved it.

A burst of uncontrolled magic rises to his defence propelling his uncle across the room and easing the pain.  
The glassware starts rattling, the lights flickering, a small unseen wind picks up.

Harry Potter's frustration takes corporeal form.

A lamp that's been swirling around the room, unseen to Harry Potter, suddenly hits him in the back of the head.

It immediately sobers him and he turns to see his aunt's face set in a rage most horrible.

He's scared now, he feels his powers rising but he clamps down on them.

''You! You monster! Look at what you've done! Get out!''

''I…I didn't mean-''

''GET OUT!''

Harry Potter turns tail and runs. He runs before his aunt can unleash her power on him again. He was sure she was stronger than him. That lamp to the back of the head hurt. He should have had more control; he should have guessed she would use her own powers to defend against him.

He kept running, making his way to the park.

He sat there and just cried; Cried for the injustice of his life.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter was back in his cupboard.

His uncle had come to get him at the park. He seemed more scared than angry at the time.

Vernon Dursley **was **scared. Scared of the power of his nephew and scared of what would happen if he couldn't find him and bring him back.  
Harry Potter was just a child. If those were the powers of a child witch he didn't want to think of what would happen to him if the others kept their promise and returned.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter was angry. Things had only got worse since the _incident_. He could do nothing to help his situation for fear of his aunt's wrath.

He needed to be able to control this. Control it so that the incident could never happen again.

So he practiced. The powers he was used to worked fine, they came as easily as breathing to him; opening doors, making his things appear wherever he was, and most recently, making himself appear wherever he wanted.

Sometimes, he could make it so his family didn't notice him, mostly when he was scared. Uncle Vernon never beat him again, but Dudley never stopped. He got lots of practice making his powers heal him.

Aunt Petunia hated him, she made him scared, she liked the fear he had for her and worked to enforce it.

Uncle Vernon was scared of him, and was the only one who didn't actively seek him out to torment him.

This, he decided, was best. He wished aunt Petunia and Dudley feared him too, then they'd leave him alone.

____________________________________________________________________

He could make fire now. It was a great achievement. Harry had now truly got a hold of some of his powers. He could make pain too, he tried it on Mrs Figg's cat that kept knocking over his rubbish bin and making extra chores for him. Mrs Figg's cat never came back, well not the black one anyways, the one who felt pain, because it feared him.

He wished he could become the most powerful person in the world, so everyone would fear him and leave him alone. He wished he could be stronger than aunt Petunia.

___________________________________________________________________

Dudley's friends all feared Dudley; he must be as strong as his mother.

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Harry Potter sat in his cupboard once more; it was his birthday, his 9th. He could feel a small shift in his power. He had one about 2yrs ago as well.

He guessed his power could tell when it was his birthday as well. He was too young to understand the magical significance of 9 and 7.

He slipped up today; he made the glass rattle again. He was just so angry at Dudley, who then had the nerve to walk in smirking at him. Uncle Vernon had looked terrified, that had nearly made it worth him getting chucked back into the cupboard.  
He was afraid Aunt Petunia would be angry enough to use her powers on him again but it turned out ok.

He could hear them shouting about it from his cupboard. Well, he could hear aunt petunia's high shriek and Uncle Vernon's rumbling bass but couldn't make out any of the words.

He wanted to cry. He spent so much time practicing; now this happens. There's no telling what his aunt would do, he wished she was a weakling like his uncle. Then he'd show her.

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''I'm surprised you never use your powers…'' says Harry spitting out a glob of blood, His lip busted and the left side of his face battered. ''your stupid parents would probably let you get away with it as well…'' only to receive another punch to the face.

''Shut up you freak! Don't talk about my parents…'' Dudley grabs young Harry by the neck and starts to squeeze.

''Look at you, a freak and a nerd. You think you're so smart in class but look at you now, you just look sad you freak, bleeding and talking about shit like powers and dragons and dungeons…''

Dudley's friends let out a raucous laughter at that. Potter really was a fucking weirdo. How he was related to Big D was a mystery.

____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter started running. Not from Dudley, just running, like he saw in Rocky. He felt disgusted with himself.

He felt tears sting his eyes and felt his disgust rise further within him.

He was a weakling. A fucking weakling. For as long as he remained weak he'd be at the mercy of his cousin forever.

Dudley didn't even need to use his powers to beat him. He even got choked for slipping up and talking about the powers at all. He realised that his aunt had lied to him.

It seemed other people didn't know about their power from the way Dudley covered it up. It must just have been a family thing.

It would explain why uncle Vernon didn't use any powers to defend himself but Aunt Petunia hit him with that lamp.

The powers only ran on their side of the family.

Even if it was three of them, knowing that no-one else had powers made him feel a bit better.

He was special.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry Potter's life had improved.

He was physically fitter, though it made no difference to Dudley who still kicked his ass whenever the fancy took him.  
He had a bit more control over his power, and whenever there was no one around to see, he would disappear instead of running the whole way home.

He lit fire to Michael Duss' homework yesterday and he made John Fletcher fall down the stairs.

Since he learnt that no-one else had the powers he realised there was no reason to take shit from anyone…. Well, except his cousin who'd probably get him back with his own powers.

Number 2 on his list, after Dudley was Jack Bengal who always tried to be a Dudley rip-off; Harry hated him.  
Whilst Harry Potter wished the roles were reversed with him and Dudley, he held a grudging respect for Dudley and his ability to instil fear. He was built like a mountain and since he started in the boxing club he'd only got stronger and more dangerous.  
Jack Bengal was a twat.  
To try to be like Dudley when you're just some fucking normal kid with no powers and not even a decent amount of strength, why, that just pissed Harry Potter off.

Jack Bengal was the first human to get a taste of 'pain'.

He never bothered Harry again. He tried to warn others about Harry, but those few who knew anything strange about Harry were victims, they were never going to speak out. The rest, they ignored him. Seeing Harry get beaten by Dudley again 2 weeks later buried his story about Harry's evil powers completely.

_____________________________________________________________________

''No, I won't have it! Dudders is finally coming into his own. He's coming along nicely, just joined the boxing club. Why?''

''Pet I just want the boy to be occupied…. He should do something, boxing will teach him some discipline too.''

''Boxing will make him more dangerous! That's what boxing will do…. How? How could you even suggest we send him there with Dudley, what if he contaminates poor Dudders?''

''You're overreacting Pet, besides, the boy's afraid of you, he wouldn't do anything to anger you…''

''Are you crazy!? Are you forgetting what happened the last time someone hit him Vernon? He flung you half way across the room with that... that witchcraft or whatever the fuck it was! He flung you Vernon, a 300 pound man, for trying to _discipline _him. Luckily that lamp hit him in the back of the head or he might have killed us all! What the fuck do you think is going to happen when you send him to boxing to learn discipline and someone punches him?!''

Vernon Dursley paled at that. Maybe she was right. Maybe he hadn't thought this through.

''You know I'm right Vernon. There's something not right about that boy. He was always quiet but now, now he just looks dangerous. I'm scared Vernon, scared for us, Dudley. Think about Dudley and what could happen to him if he fights with Harry. Even my freak sister who was one of them didn't have those kinds of powers at his age.''

''You're…you're right Pet. I'm sorry; I don't know what I was thinking. The boy would be a danger to all of us, especially Dudders if he goes to that boxing camp.''

''Thank you Vernon...'' cried an emotionally exhausted Petunia ''I'm…I'm just so scared Vernon. If he wasn't afraid of me there's no telling what he'd do.''

''Shh… its ok Pet. Don't worry, everything will be fine…''

.

…

''You have to admit though Pet…''

''Umm…what?''

''It's funny the way the boy looks at you… What'd you do to make him so scared of you?''

''I don't even know, I guess he's just always been afraid of me.''

''My tiger…''

Laughter ensues……

But Harry Potter had heard enough.

So it was all a lie.

Petunia either didn't know she had powers or didn't have any at all.

Either option suited him perfect. My… How the tables had turned.

He added his own laughter to theirs.

/-/-/

**A/N: Yeah, supposed to be a one shot, just me throwing the idea out there, but no one wanted to use it. Guess the idea wasn't as good as I thought.  
So now I'm writing it for my own entertainment and the few people who actually like it.**

**Yes Harry already has more raw power than Voldemort but he doesn't know how to use it. The powers he exhibit are similar to Voldemort as a child (Tom Riddle), but they are restricted by Harry's needs and imagination.  
He has enough magic that It'd be a very long chore to exhaust it, but he can't do much with it.**

**Its like canon Naruto with Kyuubi's power, he'd be able to do near limitless elemental ninjutsu if he knew any, but he only knows kage bunshin, henge and kawarimi.**

**I love 'godlike' Harry but I'm reigning myself in and Harry while powerful won't be a threat to any 'real' players for a while. Weaklings like Draco or Weasel or any other school punk though (Lockhart too) would probably get fucked…hard. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter franchise. I'm not making any money from this either._

**  
More Than Equal**

_More Than Equal: Chapter 3_

The cruelty of the gods surely knew no bounds, of this Petunia Dursley was sure.

She laid on her back and contemplated the mockery her life had become these past few months.

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_

* * *

  
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Two years prior

Harry Potter had defied her…. It might sound silly to one who wasn't 'in the know' but Harry Potter had never defied his aunt before, in fact, he was terrified of her.

She stared.

Harry Potter had defied her openly, refusing to do as told.

Her face set she stood a bit straighter, her impressive height of 5'11" lending further to her powers of intimidation.

The boy had seemed nervous, unsure of himself, but then something happened; he steeled his nerves and pushed onwards.

''_No…''_

**No**?

Surely she had heard wrong, young Harry never told her no; unless it would save him from punishment. 'No I didn't break the plate aunt Petunia.', 'No, I would never disobey you aunt Petunia' all these suited her fine.

This latest no struck her like a physical blow.

She had asked him to tidy the kitchen table.

He had said no.

She had been angry but had also been confused. The request was such a standard one, a simple chore, one that even Dudley was asked to do now and again.

She had wondered for a few seconds what about her request could inspire such a response from her usually timid nephew. As soon as the shock left her and she'd finally processed the fact that she hadn't indeed asked him to kill someone; rather made a simple request that this... this…. lazy cretin had refused, why she became most incensed.

She had grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, not intending to harm him but to remind him of his place. Then he said something else…

_**Stop**_

And she had stopped.

Not because she was shocked, and believe me she was. She simply could not move…

She was terrified.

He just stood there, not even removing himself from her grip and just stared at her for what seemed like eternity.

He must have found whatever he had been looking for in her eyes.

Perhaps fear.

Nonetheless he eventually seemed satisfied; he simply smiled and then walked away.

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* * *

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Harry Potter was angry.

He had been duped. Made to look like a fool.

She truly had no power, He had been afraid of his own power all this time.

He smiled. That _is _pretty funny he supposed.

He'd have found it ironic if he knew what irony was.

He'd learn.

Anyways…. his aunt hadn't blasted him.

His active imagination thought up all kinds of repercussions had he been wrong; blasts of lightning, a powerful beam of red light shot from her eyes to make him feel pain, anything, even being suspended in midair with her formidable psychic abilities (the cartoons on TV seem to favour that one). What he really, truly didn't expect was _nothing._

She didn't do anything.

He'd spent days contemplating what he'd heard. He'd wondered if he heard wrong, if it was just a ruse because they knew he was listening or if his aunt kept her own powers secret even from his uncle.

He'd waited. He didn't want to make it obvious that he'd listened in on them. Besides, he had needed to watch his aunt discreetly for a few days to see if she'd do anything 'special'.

Finally he'd figured she was most probably a pretender, she didn't have any powers.

This did nothing to curb the feeling of butterflies in his stomach days later when he decided to test his luck.

He'd very nearly lost his resolve but pressed on with the knowledge that it was unlikely that his aunt would kill him even if he turned out to be wrong.

He wasn't wrong.

His 'freeze power', as he'd aptly named it, had stopped her dead in her tracks.

Harry Potter had used his power on his aunt successfully…. And she hadn't responded.

All that was left was to see if there'd be any retaliation later that night.

* * *

  
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There wasn't

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_

* * *

_

Back to present

Petunia Dursley sat in bed reading the day's paper hoping that something, some story in the paper could turn her mind away from it all.

Vernon was sleeping peacefully next to her. He was lucky.

She felt guilt begin to consume her as she gazed upon his form. He'd lost a bit of weight over the years.

It was her fault.

He was _her_ nephew, she was the reason he even came to live with them.

What had become of their family, their dreams?  
He was a good man.

She had to look him in the face everyday and she felt guilty.

She was always fascinated by 'magic'. The fact that her sister had this magic as a fluke was always a cause of contention between them. She didn't believe that fate could be so unfair as to bless some with these abilities and not others.  
Sisters no less.

When things started to get out of hand with Harry she had decided to indulge her curiosity a bit and search for something that could help her.

It was a waste. Candles, herbs and symbolism did nothing.

Symbolic sacrifice of small animals, words of power, deep meditation, belief…they did nothing.

She had visited with a few who dealt with the supernatural. Vernon could never find out, it was something he would never accept from her.

These people who claimed supernatural connections and powers were frauds. They had nothing on her nephew.

She had seen him do things they couldn't hope to replicate.

Things she had hoped to replicate.

Petunia Dursley sobbed… She sobbed as images of the things she had done came back to her.  
Her own blood on the floor in different patterns; runes, pentacles, stars, moon phases and all sorts, books on Druid, Wicca and other things pagan strewn about as she sought to regain some kind of control over her life once more.

She had to do something. The thought that he could harm her or her family on a whim weighing heavily on her soul.

Things had changed.

After the boy had used his power on her he'd changed. He'd already had Vernon cowed and then poor Dudders just came in one afternoon refusing to speak.

She'd wanted to wring young Potter's neck and find out what happened. Faced with those cold greens eyes though, she'd lost her resolve. She knew he did something though.

It was him, it had to be.  
Dudders had ignored his cousin from that day forward, a strange enough phenomena in itself.

The boy seemed to harbour a deep hatred of her for months until it seemed like he just 'got over it'.

At least she hoped he'd gotten over it.

He'd asked for a bedroom and he'd gotten one. She knew it wasn't really a request, he'd just take it if she said no. Dudley didn't even complain as his second bedroom was taken.

Things had seemed to go from bad to worse…..then not so bad.

She made the sign of the cross, dried her tears and once again reminded herself that it hadn't been as bad as it could have been, God was still protecting her.

She'd thanked god everyday for the past year that the boy hadn't seen fit to do any further harm her family.

He wasn't a typical bully, she was thankful for that.

He wouldn't actively seek anyone out to torment them.... but his ire was terrible, he was cruel when angered.

Her entire prize garden had just shrivelled and died the last time she'd angered him.

She had been distraught and he'd just smiled at her. A smile that made her thankful he hadn't seen it fit to express his displeasure with violence.

Vernon had gathered his courage one day and insisted that the boy attend Sunday mass with them. He clearly didn't want to go, she pleaded with Vernon that night to leave him alone but he insisted that church would 'help'.

Sunday morning came around and the car rolled back over Vernon's foot breaking it. She'd been horrified and so had Dudley. Dudley had immediately looked to his cousin before turning his gaze away sharply; she followed his gaze and her eyes came to rest upon those cold chips of emerald before she too was forced to look away. She'd called the ambulance and tried her best to comfort her husband.

She'd checked the handbrake and it was still firmly in place.

'_I guess we're not going to Sunday mass then' _he'd said.

They'd all turned to face him and she could see the horror dawn in Vernon's eyes.

Harry Potter was dangerous.

He was a cold kind of evil she'd thought.

Even now it brought tears to her eyes to even think of her sister's son as 'evil'.

She didn't know what she'd do when his letter came. Hopefully he'd pay even less attention to them; he'd find kinship with his kind and mellow out. Hopefully he'd become more like Lily, less dangerous, until he was 17 and could finally leave.

* * *

  
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* * *

~_Privet Green, Surrey~_

Young Harry Potter was bored. He briefly entertained the idea of going for a run but then discarded it just as quickly. He'd given up on exercise outside of PE class a long time ago.

He just didn't have the need anymore.  
He didn't even want to think about that. His days of weakness were less of a shame now that the wound was long healed so to speak but he still didn't like thinking about it.

Physical exercise was unnecessary for one of his power he'd thought. A sentiment he'd soon learn most of his fellow wizards shared.

The sun was shining today; it was oddly beautiful considering it was early March. It looked like spring would come early this year.

Nice.

He could stay outdoors then. He was conscientious about keeping on top of his abilities. The zeal he'd lost for physical exercise had been routed to a new burning desire to make his magic **stronger.**

He could feel it, it became stronger and easier to use the more he practised it. He was determined to be powerful. Movies with people who had powers appealed to him these days, they gave him ideas.

Making fire was particularly easy for him but its uses were limited. He could make things move with barely a thought; the size of the object usually determined how much effort was need. Lately though he'd found even large objects to be increasingly easier to move.

He'd tried flight but it was not nearly as fluid as on TV. He could levitate himself off the ground but the movement while in the air was awkward and frighteningly clumsy.

He wanted to be able to make storms and rain and lightning but it wouldn't work for some reason. No matter though, he'd get it eventually.

He wished he could make money though… That never really worked out. He could use his powers to steal it from his uncle but he always hated that.

He didn't want to be a thief, it seemed… low… to his sensibilities.

He could really use some ice-cream

'_Dammit' _he thought. It was so unfair. Any food he made with his power never came out right. And he couldn't make money.

It's a limitation he'd get rid of eventually.

One day he'd be able to do **anything.**

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_

* * *

_

~Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland~

* * *

  
Albus Dumbledore was torn.

Harry Potter was proving to be a powerful young lad. The monitors at his house had been detecting Harry's magic use for years. He wasn't entirely sure if all of that magic was accidental but it was Harry's magic nonetheless. From what he'd seen harmless, both he and his family were fine so there was no reason to worry…much.

Albus Dumbledore didn't get to where he was today by being a fool though.  
On the contrary, for all his faults he was one of the magical world's greatest minds.

He didn't harbour many illusions about the likelihood of Harry Potter's magic use being intentional; after all, young Tom Riddle had frightening control of his powers from an early age as well.

It was only natural that the one who would one day be his equal would have similar prowess.

It was a good sign though, this magic use.

It seemed as though his family had told him of his heritage. That was good, it was always Dumbledore's intention that Harry Potter know he was a wizard, just not that he was famous. That type of attention would do the boy more harm than good.

As the monitor chimed once more Dumbledore allowed himself a small smile. The boy would be powerful indeed.

Harry Potter, with the right guidance, would no doubt be up to the tasks set before him.

It was simply up to Dumbledore to make sure that he understood the responsible use of his considerable power.

He would also have to make sure Harry Potter didn't have the same thirst for more power that Tom Riddle had.

He would be removing some of the more dangerous books from the library before young Harry started at Hogwarts next year, some of those books contained ideology and magical theory far too tempting for a young wizard powerful enough to actually make some of the magic work.

Afterall, some secrets of magic, quite a few of which he was privy to, were best left secret.

There had been some reports coming in from his people in Algeria; it seemed the wraith formerly known as the Dark Lord Voldemort was seeking out his sustenance in the notoriously dark, magical forest of Alingra.

This was troubling… All manner of Dark beasts and old magic resided in that forest. If Voldemort found anything there he could use….. He didn't want to think about that.

This second war would be a bloody one. Voldemort had already proven himself far more ensconced in the Dark Arts than even Grindlewald; his plethora of otherworldly abilities was telling.

His seemingly masterful control of Fiend fire in their last fight put Dumbledore on edge. Fiend fire was notoriously hard to control even by powerful, experienced wizards. It seemed Voldemort had truly mastered the dark arts beyond any in recent history.

'_Perhaps I shouldn't think of such things.'_

Albus Dumbledore liked looking toward the future…… though he never forgot the past.

He knew he wasn't likely to survive the next war but as long as young Harry could fulfil his destiny….. he felt he could die happy.

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**

* * *

**

A/N: Short chapter in comparison to my other story but I felt that I should end this here. I'll be time-skipping; I don't want to go through everyday of Harry's childhood. I don't have the patience for it.

**Not the most amazing chapter I've ever written but the next one will be longer by a great deal.**

**I know some people may take issue with Harry not liking physical exercise but the fact is, it's overdone and pointless. Most people have Harry mega-fit physically, learning karate, kung-fu and jujitsu etc from some dojo around the corner yet when it comes down to it the fights are predominantly magical.**

**It's like giving him a sword because it seems 'cool' but never having him use it when you realise a sword fight between godlike magicians is stupid.**

**There are magical rituals that can strengthen a man far beyond what's normal for a human if you want a physically strong Harry.**

**Another thing people may take issue with is that Harry isn't evil enough. This Harry's not going to be rushing in with cliché speeches like 'Listen here Dursley, things are gonna change around here.'**

**I thought a different Petunia,Vernon and a more passive Harry would be more interesting. **

**I'm just saying this stuff so you won't bother complaining in PMs. This story will be different. Harry's character will take a while to fully develop as well.**

**Nxt update very soon.**

Anyways, Cheers

**Dumblemort.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in Harry Potter. The Harry Potter series is the property of J.K. Rowling._

**  
More than Equal**

_  
Chapter 4_

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''And you're saying my parents went to this school….''

''Yes, both your mother and your father.''

''Why are you telling me this now? Is this another one of your games…'' he left the sentence hanging in the air.

''What!? No! No…… I'm telling you the truth….''

''Why haven't you said anything before then?''  
Harry Potter was getting angry. This was one hell of a bombshell; if this was a hoax there would be hell to pay. The timing of this revelation was a bit suspect as well…

''I wanted to…'' Petunia Dursley said quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly she thought as she saw his eyes narrow.

''I wanted to tell you but I was told to wait for the right time…''

Truth was, she could have told him at any time but at first she'd wanted to separate him from that part of his life. Now, it was just too risky not to tell him, he'd be eleven soon and his letter would be coming if she remembered correctly. After envisioning his response to the fact that it was real and they'd been keeping secrets from him she was determined to minimise any potential blow up by telling him now.

''…''

He wasn't saying anything. This was good and bad. It was making her a bit nervous but she knew he was thinking…. At least he was thinking, that was good. If he'd flown into a rage she had no idea what she'd do.

What _could_ she do?

''How do you know all this? Who told you? My parents?''

''What happened to them? I'm guessing they didn't really die in a car crash…'' He was visibly angry now that he'd entered that train of thought…

''No, no they didn't…'' seeing his eyes narrow perceptibly she hastened to explain fully. ''The man who left you here, Albus Dumbledore, he's the one who told us what happened. He'd left you on the doorstep with a letter, you were just a baby and he'd left you there. I didn't even the see the letter until I'd already settled you in the nursery.''

Albus Dumbledore…. He'd remember that name. Who left babies on doorsteps?

''But what about my parents?'' he said a bit less forcefully this time. His anger now directed elsewhere.

Petunia felt tears begin to well up again. She'd been scared just now and then to have to relate the fate of her sister to her nephew, the emotional rollercoaster was taking its turn.

Aunt Petunia's tears were merely confirmation for Harry of what he'd already known. His parents were dead.

''Tell me…''

And so Petunia related to her nephew the fate of Lily and James Potter.

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* * *

Harry Potter's mind was a whirl. Thoughts flitted through at lightning speed as he recounted the fate of his parents, the fact that there was a wizarding world and apparently a wizarding school and the implications of what these things would mean to his life weighed heavily on his mind.

He paced in front of the swing set at the Little Whinging Park. It was something of a thinking place for him. It had always been, especially at night when it was empty.

It was dark now and there weren't many people out, the absence of noise made it easier for him to think.

What did all this mean? How was he supposed to feel?

How _did_ he feel?

He felt disappointment. He felt his dreams slipping away from him… He couldn't describe his elation at discovering that it was _just him_ that had the powers.  
It was a wonderful feeling….. a powerful feeling.

He was wrong. It wasn't just him. There was an entire world of people out there with the same powers as him. It was unfair.

He felt that he should have been glad to learn of his parents and the fact that they too had powers, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help his disappointment.

Fantasies of being above all others, being worshipfully gazed at by everyone else, Powers unique to him, being something of a god amongst men when he'd mastered these powers…. Gone…. these hopes were beginning to flit away. He wasn't unique….special.

There were hundreds, maybe thousands or millions of other people with these powers. One of them had killed his parents.

A Dark Lord no less….

A true to fucking Christ _actual _Dark Lord. What if his people, his followers decided to kill him next? Surely the Dark Lord and his warriors or whatever would have powers beyond his own, he was still a kid.

He'd hadn't even been to magic school yet…

What was he gonna do….

Questions. It was a night filled with questions for young Harry Potter. The revelation of an entire magical world and what it meant for him would keep him up for hours.

He would question his place. Question his parents… They were killed, what if they were weak magicians? What if he'd inherited their weakness? Is that why he couldn't do any of the more powerful magic he'd heard of? Is that why his magic-made food didn't come out right? Why he couldn't make money? Why he couldn't create storms?

The situation was weighing heavily on his mind.

Who was Dumbledore? Why had he brought him here? How much magic did kids his age in the magical world really know?

It was a lot…Too much…. It was too much.

He didn't know where to begin. He'd killed the Dark Lord, but no one knew how…

So he was powerful…right? He couldn't be weak… In movies and stories a baby who'd done something like that was bound to be powerful… He was still special…

It was a lot to think about… In fact, it was all Harry Potter would think about for the next two months until the morning his Hogwarts letter came confirming his aunt's story.

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* * *

Petunia Dursley found herself in a strange position these past two months. She'd been used to spending time worrying about her family…. These past few weeks though she found herself spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about her _nephew_.

He had been weird these past few weeks…. Distracted. She supposed the revelation _was_ a hefty one. At first she was just glad that he was distracted and seemingly ignoring her family completely… After a while though his silence became unnerving. She wondered if she'd done the right thing. She could have told him years ok when things were still ok, it would have softened the blow.

She didn't know what to do… He got his letter this morning, she saw him walking around with it in his hands as though it would disappear if he let it go. She'd never forget the way it looked even from all those years ago. Parchment, those wizards used parchment instead of regular paper.

He was becoming agitated; she felt needed to do something...

The need for action warring with her common sense.

Common sense won.

What _could_ she do anyways.…? She couldn't do anything.

* * *

* * *

The letter had come, addressed to his _bedroom_ no less.

It had come, with it, confirmation that there was in fact a world full of people like him. His powers were magic. It was magic. He supposed he'd always known on some level. But still, magic.

It sounded so fanciful but yet so right. There was a list… He needed magic supplies…

He had no idea where he'd get them.

Books, cauldrons, robes, it sounded surreal. A wand…. He actually had to get a magic wand. He found it ridiculous… He personally felt a wand would look silly. Why'd he even need a wand anyway? Perhaps there was special wand-magic…

He felt a small bubble of anticipation. He'd resolved his fears somewhat over the past few weeks. He'd killed a Dark Lord as a baby, he couldn't be a weakling. His aunt Petunia had even said he was stronger than his mother. He'd remembered that conversation he'd overheard all those years ago. The night he found out he was special…

He would be…he still would be…

It was infinitely harder now, but he could still stand above all others. He'd have to learn everything there was to know about this _magic_.

He'd do his best to become the greatest wizard ever.

Where would he get an owl to respond?

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* * *

\-\-\

Albus Dumbledore was in a bit of a quandary. He didn't know who he should send to meet with young Harry and reintroduce him to the magical world.

Minerva and Filius would usually handle these things but he felt he needed to make a strategic placement in young Harry's case.  
When he'd brought it up Hagrid had volunteered but he wasn't sure that was a good idea.  
He was a kind and lovable, though large, man. He just felt as though Hagrid would be ill prepared to deal with a boy like young Harry who could already perform feats of magic without a wand that Hagrid would be hard pressed to replicate. It would dull the boy's enthusiasm somewhat.

No, Hagrid wouldn't make the best impression. Severus had already expressed extreme distaste for the boy who he had yet to even meet. It was disappointing but not wholly unexpected. The man could be so childish at times. In any case, Severus would leave a horrible impression.

Dumbledore knew that he was just wasting time with these ponderings.

The absolute best option was to go himself. He knew this.

It seemed he would get a chance to give the old bones a stretch.

It was settled. He'd go himself.

Fate had a strange way of working… He would introduce Harry Potter to the wizarding world as he had another young orphan all those years ago. It was his duty as Deputy Headmaster at the time just as it was Minerva's now. Still, he would go himself and see just how many parallels there were between young Mr. Potter and young Tom Riddle.

Hopefully not many.

* * *

It was eerie, thought Albus Dumbledore as his gaze rested upon Harry Potter for the first time in a decade.

He was a healthy size for his age…. A slim, average build. He had the same startling green eyes as his mother but he'd inherited his father's aristocratic features. He was a handsome young lad, very _similar_ to….

No. He needed to stop these comparisons. They lead totally different lives after all.

''This is Professor Albus Dumbledore Harry….. He's come to tell you about Hogwarts.''

Dumbledore registered Mrs Dursley's nervous countenance but chalked it up to her feeling uncomfortable in his presence.

''Hello Mr Dumbledore, it's nice to meet you.''

The boy was politely. It was a good start.

''I'll uh…. I'll just leave you to it. Would you like anything to drink Mr Dumbledore?''

''No, no thank you my dear. I'll only be a moment. I intend to take young Harry out to get his supplies today if that's alright with you.''

''Yes, yes…its fine. What time will you be back?''

''We shouldn't be too long my dear, perhaps a few hours. I will return him before 4 o clock this afternoon.''

''Thank you…''

She didn't know why she'd bothered asking him, he could bring him back when he felt like it after all and there would be nothing she could do.

Albus Dumbledore was immensely pleased to see Petunia Dursley being so parental. He'd remembered she didn't get along well with her sister but it seemed she'd been able to but the past behind her and become a mother to her nephew.

''Well Harry, I'd assume you have many questions…''

Harry Potter was thinking furiously… This was Albus Dumbledore… the man who left him at the Dursleys. He looked….different… than he expected.

He looked like the stereotypical Great magician from the movies. This was a Merlin if he'd ever seen one.  
If his look was anything to go on, he'd probably be just as powerful as those old wise magicians usually are.

_Shit…Questions_.

''Erm… Tell me about magic… what can you do with it.''

''Ah… that's a good question m'boy, one I've heard all too often. Magic can do many things young Harry. There are also many things it can't do… You'll learn all about what magic can do at school, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you a bit of a demonstration.''

With that Albus Dumbledore removed his wand and with a grand flourish turned a nearby cushion into a cat.

Harry Potter was wide-eyed.

This was the kind of reaction Dumbledore was hoping for. That was good. It was 'safe'.

Harry had asked a good question but Dumbledore didn't want to put ideas into the boy's head about what magic could and couldn't accomplish. He wouldn't want to encourage a pointless quest for power after all; neither would he want to stifle creative genius by telling the boy of notable limitations this early on.

The best option was to let the boy guess, show him something safe and make him aware that there _are_ limitations.  
It was always a problem of young Toms, one he shared with a young Gellert Grindlewald; he'd never accepted that there were things that couldn't, shouldn't be done with magic.

Harry Potter was impressed. He'd never done anything like that before.  
He'd never even tried to create an animal. A cushion, into a cat, a skill like that, changing something into a living animal was amazing.

''Will I learn to do that at your school.''

''Why of course m'boy. This magical art, the art of changing something into something else is called Transfiguration. You'll be learning Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Herbology during your first year. At the end of your second year you'll have the opportunity to choose extra subjects like Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.''

Transfiguration, magical potions, it all sounded pretty amazing to Harry. There was so much to learn. He was quite a ways behind it seemed. He'd have to work hard if he wanted to be a great wizard. Arithmancy sounded kind of like math and all the others he could kind of guess from there names….except Muggle Studies.

''Wait….What's Muggle studies?''

''It is the study of non-magical people. Wizards call them Muggles…'' Muggles, that was a funny name. Sounded like a racist term to him but he didn't dwell on it. It didn't interest him in any case.

''I suspect you would excel in this class, most wizards only have the vaguest ideas of Muggles while you've lived in this world all your life.''

After that pronouncement a semi-awkward silence settled giving Harry Potter some time to better process all he'd learnt.

Albus Dumbledore was watching young Harry carefully. He was pleased that the boy did not have a distaste for muggles. Minerva had feared Lily's sister would not have treated the boy well but it turned out her fears were unfounded.

He was curious though, curious to know the extent of young Harry's powers. A bit of passive legilmency was as far as he was willing to go but that would reveal nothing of Harry's abilities so it was pointless. Perhaps he could ask for a bit of a demonstration as well...

''Can I ask my boy, what magic can you do?''

Harry was startled. That was unexpected.

He wondered what he should show. He didn't know if this was a test. He decided to go with something impressive just in case.

Albus Dumbledore's eyebrows shot northward as Objects around the room started floating about, dancing to a silent tune seemingly of their own accord. There was nary a gesture from the boy. Such control, it was astonishing.

Harry saw Dumbledore's surprise and felt some of his weariness disappear. He'd feared, perhaps somewhat childishly, that Dumbledore might decide that he wasn't a strong enough magician if he didn't do something good. He was about to levitate something heavy to impress the headmaster but decided on quantity against quality instead levitating several objects.

He wanted to do more, to show off and make a good impression but there were a lot of things he couldn't do inside of the house without wrecking it.

Albus Dumbledore's mind was carefully cataloguing what he was currently witnessing. It was not entirely surprising. He didn't come here expecting Harry to have a wand. He knew any magic done would have been wandless. Wandless magic was not as rare as most people were lead to believe, especially in the older wizarding population. As one grew accustomed to their magic from constant use it afforded them the ability to perform small feats of magic wandlessly, though it took a considerable amount of power. He himself took that to a level most people often stared wide-eyed at but even he was impressed by what Harry had done.

The boy hadn't used his hands or even looked at the objects, not a gesture.  
**That** was impressive.

''Very good Harry. I see you are already a very powerful wizard. No doubt you will do well at Hogwarts.''

* * *

* * *

They had decided to take the Knight bus. Harry was wondering what was wrong with the old wizard when he suggested it.

The bus had appeared out of nowhere and startled him. He'd wondered why they didn't just appear where they wanted to go but when he'd asked the old man he'd just smiled at him and told him the Knight bus was a novel experience for him and sometimes it was nice to do things the long way in life.

Harry Potter didn't agree.

Albus Dumbledore was cataloguing everything he knew about Harry Potter. The boy had asked about what seemed to be apparition. He didn't want to believe the boy already knew how but he decided chances are, after what he saw of the boy's control, he did. He supposed it wasn't a bad thing. He'd have to tell the boy to keep some things under wraps. It would be useful if he could use apparition to escape a harmful situation should one come up. It would also be useful to have surprise on his side.

Harry Potter was not exactly as he expected but not necessarily in a bad way. A young James Potter with these powers would have been a problem. The boy seemed relatively quiet, curious and extraordinarily polite. He had been raised well. His casual use of powerful magic though…. Dumbledore wondered what should be done.

The boy would soon find out just how famous he was when he made his return to the wizarding world. To tell him to hide his abilities because they were extraordinary would be to heap something else onto his shoulders. Something else that set him apart from everyone else.

That wouldn't do. If he let Harry Potter go on thinking his abilities were normal however, that could lead to all sorts of problems.

There had to be some discretion with his use of magic or there'd be problems. There would be the expected jealous fools, the power hungry and those who would seek to destroy him. What it boiled down to was that people would be curious...

He'd had to put many an Unspeakable in their place before, concerning the boy. He wasn't some magical experiment.

He'd have to have a talk with the boy. It was expected Harry Potter would be powerful. There would be no harm in having him confirm it. It was also be morale boost to those who fought the good fight and strike fear into those whose hearts resided in darkness. He would have a carefully worded conversation with the boy.

Perhaps he could get him to exercise a minor bit of discretion.

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* * *

Harry Potter was amazed. Diagon Alley…. hardly inspired but it seemed apt for some reason. The whole old-England theme made it feel so surreal, like a movie. The place looked like not much had changed since the days of Arthur and Camelot. There were shops everywhere and a few people peddling wares from stalls.

Someone was actually selling 'eye of newt'.

''Welcome Harry, to Diagon Alley.''

A cheer rose up.

This was ridiculous. But he liked it. Everyone was cheering; people were trying to touch him, he didn't like being touched but he didn't want to do anything in full view of all these people...

He was a hero.

He had heard the story from Aunt Petunia. He'd heard it again from Dumbledore (a much more exciting version he'd admit), the old man had a gift for storytelling.

No matter how many times he'd heard it though he didn't think it'd be like this. These people were going crazy. They'd been following him since the Leaky Cauldron.

If young Harry had know he was standing next to perhaps the only person bar Voldemort who was more famous than him in the wizarding world he'd not have found such attention strange.

It's not everyday you see Albus Dumbledore outside of his castle or the ministry just casually walking around. He's very likely to draw attention.  
When the boy next to him has green eyes and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, well…. pandemonium.

To Harry it was akin to those films where there's a boy hero and he's 'the chosen one', the one destined to defeat a great evil.  
Irony has a special place in Harry Potter's life.

People were patting him on the back, thanking him and offering to by him stuff. There were well wishers everywhere. For a moment he felt like he'd achieved his dream already.

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* * *

Albus Dumbledore was far less pleased though you could never tell with the cheery smile on his face.

He could see it getting to the boy already. **This **was precisely the reason he'd sent the boy to live in the muggle world. Any regrets he'd had were dispelled as he witnessed the crowds drawn by an 11 year old boy.  
Harry Potter was enjoying the attention, he'd let the boy indulge a bit by taking a leisurely stroll but he'd have to do something eventually.

He couldn't imagine what Harry would have been like if he grew up like this. He probably wouldn't have half the magical prowess he did now, another Gilderoy Lockhart. The world would be doomed.

''I'm afraid Mr. Potter and I have business to attend to…'' Dumbledore said over the crowd as they became increasingly rowdy.

''Mr Potter is just now being reintroduced to the wizarding world, I think it would be prudent we allow him to get through this as smoothly as possible.''

Give 'em the old chastising look and the disappointed tone and they all dispersed as easily as he remembered in their Hogwarts days. It was a benefit of his advanced age that most remembered him as their Headmaster/Deputy Headmaster and as such afforded him due respect. It didn't hurt that he was considered to be 'the most powerful wizard in the world'.

People became such animals at times, young Harry was being accosted by brave souls from every direction. The more timid and subdued people were simply too awed to approach. They were in the presence of two living legends after all.

After everyone cleared off, Dumbledore started heading straight to Gringotts.

Harry Potter was partially glad as everyone cleared off.  
He was _still_ famous after all. His fame wasn't going anywhere.  
Some of those people were starting to annoy him anyway. The jostling was grating on his nerves and he would probably have soon involuntarily introduced someone to **pain**.

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* * *

'_Care of Magical Creatures_' had been his first hint. Somehow though, it hadn't fully registered to Harry Potter until at this very moment.

Goblins were real…

And they ran the bank.

They weren't at all pleasant looking, or speaking, but they were fascinating all the same.

Dumbledore had asked the teller to visit his two vaults, one of them Harry's. Harry had been surprised he even had a vault until Dumbledore told him that his parents had left him money when they died.

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* * *

  
Albus Dumbledore was shocked when he saw the visible mistrust in Harry's eyes as he asked him why he had his key. He'd explained that it was left in his care after the Potters had died and he'd been quick to return it to the Harry.

Albus Dumbledore was slightly confused and a tiny bit angry. He'd been called many things during his unusually long lifetime but he'd never before been considered a thief. He'd thought he'd had the boy pegged but then the unspoken accusation and the covetous look the boy had as he'd gazed upon his small fortune spoke volumes of just how little he actually knew about Harry Potter.

The look also reminded him of _him_.

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* * *

  
Harry Potter stared hungrily at all the money contained in his vault. His vault.

It was all his. He couldn't believe it.

He'd never had anywhere near this much money before and he'd hated stealing. Seeing the wealth that he now owned gave him a welcomed feeling of elation.

He thought of all the things he could buy.

''Can I use this money in the normal world too?'' he'd asked.

He was then informed by the accompanying goblin that they offered a conversion service to change galleons into sterling.

Harry Potter's enthusiasm was due to the fact that he'd never had much money. He was given the same allowance as Dudley so he'd never felt comfortable asking for more when he squandered his.  
His pride wouldn't allow him to. To ask for more money would be like outright admitting to his aunt and uncle that he needed them... He didn't need anyone.

He had a bit of a costly sweet tooth, unknown to him it was because of the replenishing power of sugar and chocolate on his magical reserves. His body craved it because it regarded it as fuel. After expelling large amounts of magic practising or just playing around he'd often find himself in the mood for something sweet.

He gathered up a bag of galleons and asked the goblin to change some of the money to normal money for him.

After making a quick trip to another vault for Dumbledore to pick something up they made there way back out to the alley.

\-\-\

* * *

''Where to next, sir?''

''Ah, I believe we should see about next getting you a wand my boy…''

''Why do we need wands sir… what do they do?''

''A wand helps a wizard to channel his magic Harry. Without a wand you will be unable to perform most magics…''

Seeing that they had listeners and the boy was about to protest he cut him off.

''Like that transfiguration I performed for you today m'boy. That specific piece of magic requires the use of a wand. A wand helps keep a wizard's magic focused and easier to use''

That explanation seemed to be enough for Harry and they settled into a comfortable silence as they made there way towards Ollivanders.

People continued to gawk and wave at him. They were following him and Dumbledore while trying, but failing, to be discreet.

_

* * *

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o__

* * *

_

'I expect great things from you Mr Potter. After all, You-know-who did great things; terrible, yes, but great.'

The words floated around in young Harry Potter's head as he lay on his back in his reclining chair.

He'd returned from his shopping trip not too long ago and he decided to spend a little time thinking a he was wont to do.

It had been a hectic day but overall it had been good. He wished he could have explored the Alley a bit more but Dumbledore said that he'd promised his aunt he'd be back by 4.

He'd shopped for and bought everything on his school list along with a few extras. He couldn't wait to wear his robes; they made him feel more powerful, more wizardly.

He'd bought himself a few random knick knacks that had interested him; a watch that always tells the correct time no matter where you were in the world, gloves with warming charms woven into the fabric, a few scarves, some particularly comfortable shoes and a slew of other seemingly random things like his new ridiculously comfy chair.

His mind though kept floating back to Mr Ollivander's words.  
Great things.

Yes, he would be great. This just confirmed it for him.

In every movie he'd ever seen, when a weird old man told you you'd be great it was bound to happen.

On that note, he forced himself out of his chair and towards his desk where his recently bought books lay. He thought since he had some free time he might as well start making his way to greatness.

\-\-\

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat back and allowed himself to relax. His conjured tea was as impeccable as always and his bowl on lemon drops lay within arms reach. In a rare moment he'd allowed himself to indulge a bit and he'd bought the same chair as Harry's after trying it out at the boy's insistence.

It may have been a bit of a waste of a few galleons as he could probably do the charms on the chair himself in a relatively short space of time but he thought he'd throw old Reece a bone. The condition of his store suggested that business wasn't going all too well, that would surely change after having Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter buy chairs from him.

He remembered Reece from his Hogwarts years. The boy had little ambition but had been a whiz with charms.

Young Harry had loved the chair immediately and desperately wanted to buy it. Dumbledore allowed himself to smile a bit as he remembered how happy the boy had been when he offered to shrink and un-shrink it for him.  
Harry Potter.

The boy was a mystery.

He saw all kinds of sides to the boy today. Most he liked, some he didn't, but as a man who'd lived a long 150+ years he understood better than most that no one was perfect.  
Harry was still a child after all; he had a lot of time to grow.

The boy was a curious case. Unfailingly polite, at times eerily quiet and pensive but then fiercely independent, untrusting, and not surprisingly a bit vain.

Both his mother and father were good, but also vain people, Dumbledore mused; it was hardly surprising he shared some of their characteristics.

Characteristics…. The word troubled him today more than usual. He tried to take what he knew of Harry Potter, his characteristics, and tried to place him.

He couldn't.

A great many plans would have to be adjusted. He didn't intend on this happening given the boy's parents but having met the boy he was now fairly certain that whatever house Harry Potter was placed in it wouldn't be Gryffindor.

It was not so much of a problem though, as long as one knew how to look at a problem, at times you could find it wasn't a problem at all.

A Gryffindor Harry Potter would be expected and accepted without fanfare.

A Hufflepuff Harry Potter was even more unlikely than Gryffindor.

If he did end up there though, no doubt the Puffs would be overjoyed to have a hero like Harry Potter in their house. It would also lead to people underestimating the boy. It could work in his favour.  
Harry Potter with his prodigious aptitude for magic could serve to dispel some of the thoughts people generally held on puffs.  
Harry Potter in the House of Loyalty would also do a lot to ease Dumbledore's mind.

A Ravenclaw Harry Potter would come as a surprise. Filius would no doubt be overjoyed. The boy was definitely bright enough. It would be one of the easiest places for Harry Potter to be.  
His power and control would be a lot less shocking. He'd also have a lot more respect from the other houses.

It was sad but the Hogwarts system perpetuated stereotypes in a way Dumbledore had not seen anywhere else in all his travels.

Your 'house' could characterise you for life in magical Britain. There was nothing anyone, even one of his considerable political and magical powers could do though. The houses represented the founders of the school. Something very deeply entrenched in British magical history.

Slytherin and Gryffindor were wildly accepted as the most powerful of the founders. It lead to an overinflated sense of pride in both houses and kept up the rivalry they've held till this very day.

Dumbledore personally fancied himself more of a Rowena Ravenclaw. People didn't realise it but Ravenclaw was the only house respected by all others, even if it was unconsciously so. Gryffindors were thought to be uncouth and foolishly brave by Slytherins. Slytherins were generally mistrusted by the other houses and thought to be 'evil' by most Gryffindors. Hufflepuff was thought to be the left over house, the house you went to because you were neither smart nor brave nor cunning and ambitious. Given the themes of the houses, Hufflepuff loyalty did nothing to erase the stigma of cowardice, dim-wittedness and a lack of ambition.

Ravenclaws though, they were smart. Very smart.

Everyone somewhat respected someone they regarded as smarter than themselves. Dumbledore's Ravenclaw background had been one of the greatest assets to his career before he'd defeated Grindlewald, in fact even before he'd completed his works with Nicholas Flamel he'd been hailed as a prodigy.

Ravenclaw would be at this point the best option.

Slytherin.

Severus would have a seizure.

He'd thought long and hard about the possibility of Harry Potter being placed in Slytherin and what it would mean.

The boy was certainly cunning and ambitious enough. There were endless parallels already between the boy and Tom Riddle.

Slytherin would not be ideal but once Dumbledore moved passed his musings on the Tom Riddle he could see where Slytherin could be a good choice for Harry Potter.

It would be a hard seven years at Hogwarts for the boy. If he ended up in Slytherin he would face animosity and mistrust that even his fame would not be completely able to conquer. He'd be an instant target for ambitious housemates to boost there own goals and family names. He'd also be the subject of deep hatred from the more staunch Gryfindors.

He'd face near constant adversity in some form or another, but he'd be stronger for it.

Slytherin could make Harry Potter wily and strong. It could only help, know thy enemy after all.

He'd seen the look on the boy's face at the mention of his parents' murder earlier.  
He knew there was no chance of Harry Potter ever becoming a minion of Voldemort.

He then also considered how much it could help the wizarding world heal, having a Slytherin be the one to vanquish the Dark Lord that plagued them.

So much to consider….So little time.

* * *

* * *

Harry Potter was slightly baffled.

He'd not fully read any book yet but he'd skimmed them.

There was something he'd noticed though, all of the magic in those books only dealt with wand magic. Even the extra ones that weren't on the list, a few Dumbledore recommended himself.

Surely this was a joke.

Was this one of those secrets?

Dumbledore had told him that it would be best if he didn't show all of his powers.

_  
'I believe the Muggles having a saying, every magician has his secrets.' _he'd said_ 'This is true even in our world, not everything is as it appears, it wouldn't do for you not to have a few surprises of your own.'_

Dumbledore had made a good point and so he'd agreed.

The muggles also have another saying though.

Fool me once…

Harry Potter had already been fooled once before.

Dumbledore had used a wand, as had every other magician he'd met today. Well, actually he remembered Dumbledore didn't use his wand to un-shrink the chair but that hardly mattered to him.

He'd be the first to admit that the magic he'd tried through his wand (moving his armchair into the corner) had used a bit less power than if he'd done it without it but  
he couldn't believe that people would just ignore the usefulness of magic without a wand for such a simple reason.

Everyone had said how powerful he was/would be.

Aunt Petunia, Dumbledore, The guy at the bookstore (who'd seen summon a book from a shelf that was too high for him), Ollivander….

Harry wasn't slow, far from it…

It was like Aunt Petunia all over again, he had a niggling feeling about it…

He'd wait and see…

It seemed even among wizards he was special.

* * *

**A/N: So there's one more chapter. A bit lacking in detail at some bits but it's because I find it a waste of time to write stuff you already know. I don't want to write about Harry trying on clothes or god help me that long drawn out meeting with Olivander.**

Off to hogwarts next chapter. Harry has suspicions but he won't realise the vast difference in power between himself and others for a while.  
His power will be an assset to him but he'll learn quickly that he'll need a hell of a lot more than just power.  
I didn't want to give him a silly wandless magic book or advanced books about stuff that he won't fully understand yet (Animagus and all the other crap people get excited about).

**Not much action but then that's what Hogwarts is for. I figured things would happen a bit differently. It wasn't likely to be the same day as the trip with Hagrid so he wasn't going to meet Quirrel or Malfoy. In canon the Dursleys ran and hid for days from the owls bringing Harry Potter's letter.**

**So tell me what you think.**

**Dumblemort.**


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